Please
by Animal Arithmetic
Summary: On his rounds, Scorpius Malfoy finds a broken Albus Potter halfway through Death's Door. "I'm staying right here, Albus," Scorpius assured him. "P-Promissse?" Scorpius nodded. "Of course." AS/S Now a two-shot.
1. Help

Blood.

That was the first thing that registered through Scorpius Malfoy's mind as he came upon the abandoned third floor corridor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during his rounds just after curfew on a cold December night. Small droplets dotted the stone floor of the hallway and disappeared into the inky darkness beyond the range of the dim candle on the wall next to him. Scorpius- a prefect and therefore needing to find out what was wrong despite the warnings in the back of his head to _runrunrun_- whispered _"Lumos"_ as he silently stole his way down the corridor, following drops of blood and footprints on the dusty floor through the still darkness. His footsteps bounced too loudly against the stones in the still hallway, making him cringe at the sound. He avoided the already smeared puddles of sticky liquid as best as he could.

Scorpius stopped a few steps away from the edge of a large puddle of blood and was almost sick. Just the stench of the metallic liquid made him stumble back. He barely managed to keep himself upright, using the wall to his right for support, and his light dimmed dangerously. The Slytherin wondered how the person was still alive; he was sure this was all from one person, and there were at least three different sets of bloodied footprints.

Those three sets did not include the dragging lines right down the middle of the path.

He wondered who could have done it, and who the victim was, as he willed his light to shine brighter. Something black on the edge of the grotesquely large puddle caught his attention. He carefully stepped around the pool of blood to examine the shape closer. Upon reaching it, he saw it was just a torn black robe with Gryffindor colors and insignia above where the heart should have been. Scorpius crouched down to search for the name tag, finding only white scraps a few moments later.

Scorpius wondered why a _Gryffindor_ would have been attacked, especially this late at night. He also wondered _who_ would have attacked a Gryffindor. The only answer he could come up with was not pretty. He entertained the idea of a Slytherin or three beating up a Gryffindor for something the Gryffindor's father had done to the Slytherins' fathers.

Or...

_Or._

Scorpius did not like the _or_; he cringed at the thought of a Gryffindor losing his or her- although most likely a teenage boy's- robe in the struggle to hurt another student.

The name tag, however, disagreed with that idea.

Shakily, Scorpius rose to his full height, deciding to leave the robe there. It, too, was soaked in blood, and Scorpius could feel the liquid slicking his fingers. Absentmindedly, he wiped his hand on his own robe. He tried his hardest to ignore the coppery scent that was so heavy in the air he could taste it on his tongue. He nearly choked as he continued his slow trek down the corridor, watching the puddles grow bigger every few meters with heavier drops than before in between. Scorpius _knew_ he should have hurried, but he didn't know what waited for him at the end of the tracks; he was in Slytherin for a reason, and, albeit he wasn't a very _good_ Slytherin, self-preservation was at the top of his list.

The hallway seemed to drag on forever and ever, stretching on to eternity. Scorpius wondered, yet again, whose blood this was and if they were still alive. That thought stilled him. What would he do if there _was _a corpse at the end of his journey? Was he to go to the headmistress? What if the person was still alive? Was he supposed to carry them to the hospital wing or call for help or what? They never covered that in the prefect guide books. The last time he knew of a student getting attacked and nearly dying from blood loss was his own father over twenty years ago.

Scorpius shook the thoughts away and continued onward. His light and his hesitant, echoed shuffles around the blood were his only companions as he made his way down the death-still corridor. He was frightened out of his mind at what he would find, and he didn't quite fancy the nightmares that were sure to come after this ordeal.

_This was a bad idea_, he thought as he followed the blood down another corridor. The metallic scent only got stronger and he had to stop to retch just a few steps in. He leaned heavily against the wall, cursing his weakness_. Someone could be dying! _he berated himself harshly. In that moment, he really, truly hated himself.

He was weak- he was too Slytherin. Scorpius hated his father, and his father's father, and _his_ father's father for forcing the Malfoys to be a Slytherin family through and through. Being a Slytherin was hard; especially when all Scorpius wanted was to right his father's wrongs and to help people. Perhaps that ambition had landed him in Slytherin in the first place and Scorpius thought sardonically how ironic that was.

Again, Scorpius shook the thoughts away to continue on his search. The bleeding person would have been losing strength and life the longer Scorpius stalled, and he wanted to _help_, damn it!

His renewed vigor had Scorpius proceeding with a faster pace to find the forsaken soul. He just really hoped the victim was, well, at least not _dead_.

Scorpius did not let his hopes get too high. The dark red puddles were slowly increasing the longer he walked. The further he followed the red, the whiter he became. _This is an awful lot of blood_, he thought, pausing yet again. He needed to decide how he would handle whatever he found at the end of the trail. If the victim was alive, he could always send a- rather weak- Patronus to find the Head Boy or Girl, or even a teacher or the headmistress.

Or, he could do the Patronus now and get help to the student a lot sooner.

Scorpius closed his eyes and tried to find his happiest memory. It was hard; thoughts of blood and corpses kept popping to the forefront of his mind. Finally, he managed to find a memory of when he helped that Hufflepuff under year just last week and she had smiled at him and thanked him for his kindness.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A large cat burst from the end of his wand. Its corporeal form elated Scorpius until he remembered _why_ he had conjured it. He had no idea if he was doing this right, but... He needed to try _something_.

"T-Tell Professor McGonagall... F-Find her and t-tell her there's b-been an accident- an attack- in the abandoned third floor c-corridor, and t-to f-follow the... the... b-blood." He cursed his stutter for appearing at a time like this. "T-Tell her to bring Madam Pomfrey, and to _hurry!_"

The cat cocked its head to one side before leaping away to find the recipient of the message.

Relieved help would come sooner and scolding himself for not thinking of that method sooner, Scorpius continued to his destination faster than before to make up for lost time. He questioned how much farther he had to go before he would reach the student.

Along the way he saw torn clothing and quite possibly a shoe. Scorpius did not stop to examine it further, determined to get to the injured student as quickly as he could. He continued to steer clear of the sticky liquid to avoid slipping in his hurried pace and causing him to lose more time until he found the student. However, he did pause to stare at the large puddle against one wall where there had quite obviously been a struggle.

It was then he realized there was also blood on the wall right above the lake of blood. A bloodied handprint streaked down the stone. Scorpius shuddered and he could not even think about who would be cruel enough to do this to another student. It reminded him of some of the Death Eater meetings his father had shown him in a pensieve.

"_To keep you from making the same mistakes as I,"_ was the answer Scorpius received when he asked his father why he had shown him the horrid memories. It had been a horrible thing to show a nine-year-old, but it got its message across loud and clear.

_I have to stop getting distracted_, Scorpius thought, maneuvering around the red fluid swiftly. He had to get to that student. If he couldn't save them, then perhaps just being there for them in their last moments would suffice. If being there for them so they wouldn't die lonely would help...

Scorpius refused to think on the matter anymore. He made his mind blissfully blank as he continued to follow the heavy drops down the dark hallway. The prefect wished to just find the body already- he was getting sick of the suspense. Careful of the liquid and pushing down the fear of slipping, he started to run, his wand held out in front of him as his panic finally settled in.

He turned once more and stopped at a huddled mass against the wall several meters in front of him. The moonlight streamed in through the high windows, illuminating the heap in an eerie crisp-blue hue. At first he thought it was another robe, but creeping further down the hall showed it to be the crumpled form of a body. One foot was bare and the torn white shirt was really no longer white; instead it was a deep red and stuck to the corpse's torso; he was too late. Scorpius only knew it was a corpse because there was just _somuch blood_ and the upper body did not move to draw in or exhale breath. His own breath caught in his throat at the sight.

"H-Hey," he said, moving towards the body. He had to check to make sure they were really dead. "H-Hullo?"

The body did not move.

Scorpius moved his wand over the head of the body and gasped. There was no mistaking that black hair, and Scorpius was sure that if the corpse opened its eyes right then they would be bright green.

It was Albus Potter, the youngest son of Harry Potter, the enemy of his father, Draco Malfoy.

Scorpius could not get his voice to work to call out for the headmistress to hurry. He dropped to his knees beside his kind-of-sort-of-but-not-really enemy. They had only been enemies because their fathers had been enemies. In the five and a half years of being at Hogwarts, they had never once spoken to each other; they had ignored the existence of the other in a silent agreement. It made absolutely no sense to Scorpius as to why Albus Potter would be dead in an abandoned corridor. Albus had no enemies- he was too liked by everyone.

A shallow, shaky breath caught his attention. It was not his own, and he was pretty certain Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were not there yet. Scorpius looked down at the face of the corpse- almost corpse- and stared at the single green eye that stared right back up at him; the other was swollen shut. The only good eye tried to blink the blood away as it stared into the steel grey eyes of Scorpius Malfoy. Air rattled in his lungs, and Scorpius could have sworn he heard gurgling before a river of dark fluid fell like a waterfall from the corner of his pallid lips. Blood was smeared across his face from his broken nose, and the blood was still sluggishly streaming from his nose.

"Oh, _Merlin_." Scorpius, eyes wide and horrified, cursed under his breath at how bad the other boy looked.

The injured teen tried to respond, but only succeeded in creating more gurgles and pushing more blood over his lips.

"Shh, Potter," Scorpius soothed, pushing blood-drenched black locks back. "It'll be all right. McGonagall and Pomfrey are coming."

"Sss... Ssssc..."

The terrified boy placed a trembling hand over the blood-stained lips. "Hush, Albus. Save your strength." Scorpius was surprised at how steady his voice sounded, despite how shaken he felt. "They'll be here soon." His shaking hand felt for the limp hand resting inthe pool of sticky liquid. Scorpius tried to ignore how the fluid felt on his fingers as he held the hand tight. "I'm here, Albus. You are not alone."

"Th... Th..."

"Shush." Scorpius felt tears burn behind his eyes. "Don't say anything." He felt terrible because he did not know how to fix the boy in front of him. He did not want to accidentally cause _more_ damage. There was nothing he could do to ease the pain Albus Potter was obviously in. "Merlin, Albus. I wish there was something I could do to help..."

"Sss... Ssslll..."

Scorpius blanched further. It was as he feared. "Slytherins did this to you? Blink once for yes and twice for no." One slow blink of the dulling green eye confirmed Scorpius' fear. Then, surprising the trembling blond, Albus blinked twice.

He almost did not want to know, but his need to find out who to punish took precedenceover his want not to know. It was a long stretch, but... "You mean there was also a... Ravenclaw?" Two blinks. _"_A _Hufflepuff?"_ That idea was too ludicrous to even _think_, let alone _express_, but it was more plausible than a-

Two blinks.

No. _**No**_. That went against everything Scorpius believed. Gryffindors weren't supposed to beat each other up! They were _definitely_ not supposed to team up with _Slytherins_- of all people!- to nearly kill one of their own. Slytherins attacked each other, sure, but that was to keep each other 'on their toes'. No other house swooped down to such low levels- it was highly frowned upon and too _Slytherin_ to even consider. It just _wasn't possible_. Scorpius almost broke down at the thought. He clenched his wand tightly to keep his hand still at his side. Hoarsely, he whispered, "There was a Gryffindor, wasn't there?"

Only one slow, teary blink this time.

"_Oh, Merlin_, Albus. I'm so sorry. Once Madam Pomfrey fixes you up I'll go after then myself. Just point them out and I'll go after them, even if that means expulsion on my part." A tear fell languidly from his eye and landed on the bloodied cheek below.

Albus reached up with a shaky arm, trying to reach the pale face above him. That action alone made Scorpius' shoulders shake with suppressed sobs. "D-D-Don't... c-c-cry..." he rasped. Scorpius lowered his head so Albus could reach him. The bloodied fingers wiped across his cheek, smearing the red fluid over his skin. "Sss... S-S-Ssssorry."

"Don't be." Scorpius held the hand tighter. He dropped his wand to clutch at the hand at his cheek. He could feel the fingers, unnaturally crooked. Albus let his eyelid drop and his head loll back into the puddle of sticky liquid. "Come on, Albus. Stay awake. Madam Pomfrey will fix you right up when she gets here." Albus opened his eye once again. "There's a good boy."

Albus tried to let out a scoff to reprimand the other boy, but ended up pushing more blood past his lips. "Ow... _Huuurtsss_..."

"Everywhere?"

One blink.

Despite himself, Scorpius choked on an embarrassingly hysterical chuckle. The chuckle quickly turned into a sob. Here he was, laughing at an inappropriate moment. Albus Potter was _dying_ in front of him, and here he was _laughing_. Scorpius did not want to cry, but he could not wipe away his tears; both hands were occupied with holding onto the cold hands of Albus. So he let the tears fall, cursing his father and his father's father and _his_ father's father once again for putting him in Slytherin when he should have obviously been a Hufflepuff.

The bloodied hand on his cheek swiped at the tears running from his eye with his thumb, only managing to spread the bodily fluids across the pale cheek. "D-D-Don'... c-cry f-for... me."

Scorpius nodded, though his tears still fell. "D-Don't d-d-die, then."

"You've... nev'r..."

"Just shut it," Scorpius hissed, clutching tighter at the hand against his cheek. "I'm not my father!"

Albus managed a smile that looked much closer to a grimace. "Me... n'ther..."

It was then that Scorpius realized how childish their little 'feud' had been all those years. Neither teenager wanted to be like their fathers; yet here they were, 'enemies' nonetheless. That might have been a harsh term to use, but they had never been friends. With those two, harshly whispered words from Albus, Scorpius knew, without a doubt, they had more or less ignored each other for five years with each boy wanting to fix the rift and right the wrongs for their fathers. Each had waited for the other to start something because they were too afraid to do so themselves.

"Sss... Ssssec...t-t-tumm..."

The stuttered half-word and the thought of their fathers led Scorpius back to a previous thought. He dropped the hand against his cheek and wildly grabbed for his wand. The hand at his cheek only stayed for a moment before dropping into his lap. Forcing himself to calm down, Scorpius took a deep, calming breath to steady his frantically beating heart and racing thoughts. All he had to do was remember what his father had told him.

Slowly, but surely, he ran his wand over the wounds. It was a painfully slow trek, but Scorpius wanted to get it right. If the grunts and pained moans from Albus were anything to go by then it was helping at least to some extent. Once he had done as much as he could, Scorpius ripped open the red-dyed shirt with his free hand only to gape in unabashed horror at the sight.

He could see where he had closed the wounds; there were thin, pink lines that shone in both his wand light and the moonlight. There were more wounds, however, those that would not have been fixed with the spell he had used. Blood covered almost every inch of Albus' torso, and what was not bloodied was deathly pale. Scorpius was not sure, but he suspected the other wounds were made from a jagged dagger. It was a sickly sight, and Scorpius just managed to keep the bile down.

If only McGonagall and Pomfrey would hurry.

It was several moments later when Scorpius heard the two hurried footsteps heading his way that he let out a breath of relief. "They're coming, Albus!" he told the other boy excitedly. He grasped the hand tighter in his own. "Just hold on a little while longer. Professor McGonagall! Madam Pomfrey! Please hurry!"

"D-D-Don'... leave..."

"I'm staying right here, Albus," Scorpius assured him, turning back to the beaten teen. He pushed another black lock of hair from the bruised and swollen face.

"P-Promissse?"

Scorpius nodded just as the two older women turned the corner. "Of course."

"Oh my..." Professor McGonagall gasped, stopping dead at the sight of the two in the pool of blood. "Mister Malfoy! Step away!"

Albus clutched tighter on his hand. "You... p-p-promisssed!"

Scorpius held on just as tight. "I'm not leaving," he told the scared boy as Madam Pomfrey nudged him so she could get in to heal Albus. Of course Scorpius was hurt that the headmistress would assume he was the attacker. However, he ignored the pain in his chest to clear up the misunderstanding. "It wasn't me, Professor. It was... Two Slytherins and a Gryffindor?" Scorpius watched Albus carefully; he didn't know if he could stand knowing that a Gryffindor- let alone two- had hurt their own. Albus slowly let his eyelid drop before staring back up at Scorpius. The blond nodded. "Two Slytherins and a Gryffindor, then. I was doing my rounds and I noticed blood at the entrance of the corridor..."

The prefect explained his discovery, leaving out exactly just how terrified he had been as he helped Madam Pomfrey maneuver Albus onto his back and away from the wall. Once satisfied, she moved to the prone boy's other side to better reach his injuries; Scorpius was not about to move away from the injured Potter. Scorpius continued his explanation, skillfully leaving out letting his weakness overcome him as well, sure they would not need those insignificant details. He explained to the nurse the spell he used after Albus had told him about the cutting curse. She merely smiled at him in gratitude and pulled out a Blood-Replenishing Potion from one of her numerous pockets.

As the silence began to overwhelm him, Scorpius concentrated on the hand connected to his own. Albus held on as tightly as his failing strength would allow him. Scorpius felt as if he would float away and Albus was his only anchor to the world. The blond could only wonder why Albus held on so tightly. _Perhaps it is because he is afraid of dying, or dying alone_, Scorpius contemplated. _Or he's holding on to me to concentrate on staying awake. Maybe he's floating away just as I am._ Those thoughts were much more pleasant to endure than the morbid ones before.

It was strange, Scorpius thought, for two boys who had never spoken to each other in their lives to suddenly be each other's anchor.

OOOOO

Scorpius was startled awake as the infirmary doors slammed open. He was instantly aware (Slytherin would do that to you) and saw the two remaining Potter siblings running toward Albus's bed. James shot him a dirty look, but said nothing as they came to a halt by their brother's bed. Lily plopped down on the bed and took the hand Scorpius was not holding. She kissed the knuckles, silently pleading for her brother to wake up.

He was still out cold and shockingly pale.

James pulled over another chair and sat down, glaring over at Scorpius. "Why do you get such a comfy chair?"

"I've been here all night," Scorpius croaked back. He cleared his throat. "I found your brother. Last night during my rounds. In the abandoned third floor corridor. He asked me to stay with him." His sentences were chopped and made little sense separated from one another. He, however, did not care; he was too tired to care, too exhausted to be frightened of James' ire like he usually would. He had stayed up all night, keeping vigil at Albus's bedside. The evidence of his lack of sleep was shockingly apparent; his hair was in appalling disarray and his eyes were bloodshot.

Lily, with her tender Hufflepuff heart, brushed a stray lock of blond hair from his bloodshot eyes before her fingers trailed lightly over the blood smears on his cheek. She looked incredibly sad at the sight. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "I'm glad you stayed with him."

Scorpius smiled shakily at her, but it slipped as he remembered _why_ he had stayed. "H-He asked me t-to," he confessed. "I-I... I was afraid he was d-dead already," he whispered. He glanced at the pallid boy before turning back to the Potter siblings. "Th-There was j-just so much _blood_. I-I wondered how _anyone_ c-could be alive. I-I... I thought I was t-too late. I p-promised to stay and- and when I s-saw all that b-_blood_ I-I just _knew_ the v-victim had t-to be d-dead so I hurried t-to g-get there as fast as I could b-because I thought maybe they weren't d-dead _yet_ but I-I would be too late to get help so I could j-just c-comfort them in their last m-moments and-"

There were hands on his face and it was only then he realized he was crying- _sobbing_- as he clutched Albus's hand close to his chest. Albus had been cleaned of all his blood, but Scorpius was still covered in it. His robes and clothes underneath were stained with the liquid but he didn't care. He had had a chance last night to change clothes and to clean up, but he had not wanted to leave Albus's bedside.

Someone was talking to him, trying to calm him down. It was a soothing voice, a girl's voice, young. A bottle was pushed to his lips and he swallowed the contents without thinking. He was suddenly calm, then, and he lowered his head, ashamed. He wiped his tears and snot away with his sleeve- the robes were ruined anyway- and looked up once he was composed. James, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor McGonagall had all turned away so he could get under control in a crude attempt of privacy. But Lily...

Lily was watching him carefully with sad, tear-filled eyes. She had crawled over her unconscious brother so she could sit on the edge closest to Scorpius. He flushed under her look and tried to turn away but the girl stopped him. Her small hands were gentle as they turned his head to face her again. "Hey," she said softly with a watery smile. Tears slipped down her cheeks. "It's alright to cry. It doesn't make you a lesser man if you do."

A humorless laugh slipped past his lips. "Tell that to my father," he said bitterly. "I'm a horrible Slytherin, sobbing like this- like a _Hufflepuff_."

"Hey, now," the girl said, mock-glaring at him. "_I'm_ a Hufflepuff."

Just the look of mock-indignation sent Scorpius Malfoy into peals of hysterical laughter that made him sound not too unlike a madman. He could see James staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes and Madam Pomfrey watching him with concern. Professor McGonagall's eyes softened in understanding and Lily just grinned at the hysterical boy.

"There. Don't you feel better, now?" she asked once he had calmed down.

And surprisingly, he did. He felt lighter than he had since... well, a long time. "Yeah," he whispered, wiping some of the tears away from his eyes. "Loads. Thank you."

"It was nothing compared to what you did for my brother."

"I did what any other human being would do-"

"Not so, Mister Malfoy," the headmistress interrupted. "There were those three who nearly killed him in the first place." She sighed, sounding pained. "You don't happen to know the names of the three, do you?"

"No, Professor. I'm sorry."

She placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Scorpius. I have owled your father, to let him know what you've done to help the school. And I've owled your parents," she said to the Potter siblings. "They should be here within the hour. You should get cleaned up, Scorpius."

"But I promised-!"

"Scorpius," said Lily, placing a hand on his cheek. "He'll still be asleep, but if he wakes up you can just explain that you needed to clean up. Here, I'll help you."

He looked down at his stained clothes. "But... I don't have anything to change into."

Madam Pomfrey handed him a pair of pajamas. "You can just put your clothes into the rubbish bin."

Lily pried his fingers from Albus's hand and led him to the bathroom. The blood crunched uncomfortably around his knees. The two worked together to get him cleaned off and changed. Scorpius didn't even bother with embarrassment at his state of undress in front of the younger girl. Once done, Scorpius hurried back out to Albus to sit at his bedside once again, ignoring the cold stone underneath his naked feet. James glared as Scorpius sat back down in his comfy chair. Scorpius, however, ignored him and took Albus's hand once again as he curled in his seat.

His father entered soon after that. "Scorpius," he greeted, quite coldly if Scorpius could say so. But only he would have been able to tell.

"Father."

The door opened again before Draco could say anything else. Mr. and Mrs. Potter rushed through and paused when they saw their son unconscious in the bed surrounded by his siblings and Draco Malfoy's son. The Hospital Wing was totally silent, each person looking at someone else to speak up.

"Well," Professor McGonagall said, hoping to break the tension. "The school will be rewarding Scorpius a Special Award for Services to the School-"

"No!"

Seven people turned to look at a panicked Scorpius. "I-I d-don't _want_ an award. I just did what any d-decent human b-being would d-do." He cursed his stutter. "P-Please."

"But Mister Malfoy-"

"_I don't want it!" _

"_Scorpius_!" Draco stormed over to his son. "You will not-"

"I said I don't want it!" Scorpius hissed, daring to interrupt his father. He was surprised that he was speaking back to his father, and that his stutter was gone- for the moment, anyway. "All I did was what the school expected me to do when I became prefect. I didn't do it for the reward. I did it because I am human, and because-" Well, he couldn't really say that other 'because'. He couldn't admit in front of his father that he just wanted to help people. "I don't want it."

The room was silent after his outburst. No one knew what to say.

"Your selflessness is all the more reason _to_ give you it, Mister Malfoy," said the headmistress.

"No."

"You really don't want it."

"I really don't want it."

"What about points?" the headmistress asked.

Scorpius stared bitterly at the hand he was holding. "Points are for correct answers and good behavior. What I did was something any human with a heart should do."

Mrs. Potter moved forward, leaving her husband behind so she could stand with the rest of her family. "Thank you," she whispered. Tears slipped down her cheeks. "Thank you so much. If there is anything we can do to repay you-"

Draco moved forward, now, to give his input. "I'd like to think we're even, now. Potter saved me over twenty years ago and now my son has saved yours."

Mr. Potter nodded, not wanting to get into a fight- in the infirmary of all places. Instead of saying anything to the Malfoys he turned to his old nurse. "Poppy? How is he?" He sounded afraid and his voice nearly broke, but he did not move closer to his son quite yet. "Please don't hold anything back."

"He just needs to rest, now. Sectumsempra did a lot of the damage, but a cursed dagger did a lot more and caused internal bleeding. His left hand was broken badly enough I needed to use Skele-grow." Mr. Potter made a face at that, remembering his own time in the hospital during second year. "One eye was swollen shut, his nose was broken, a few teeth were knocked loose, and he has a concussion. His attackers were not afraid to use their fists and feet."

Scorpius could see Mr. Potter clenching his shaking fists at his sides. When he looked closer he could see the man trembling in anger. "I see," he hissed, his eyes shut tight. "Do you know who did it?"

Professor McGonagall shook her head. "No, not yet, Harry. When Albus wakes we'll know who, exactly. Scorpius-" she paused and looked at the boy. He instantly shied away. "-managed to get out of him that it was two Slytherins and a Gryffindor. All students will be confined to their common rooms until Albus gives us those names."

"And his wand? Was his wand broken?"

Professor McGonagall turned to Scorpius. "Did you pick up his wand, Mister Malfoy?"

He shook his head. "I didn't see one, but I wasn't exactly looking for a wand at the time."

She turned back to the enraged father. "I'll go look for it immediate-"

"Don't bother," Mr. Potter growled, stalking out the door.

It was silent once again. Mrs. Potter, Scorpius could tell, was torn between staying with her children and going after her husband. Professor McGonagall solved her problem by going after the angry father. Draco was fuming off to the side, waiting for his son to leave now that he wasn't needed.

"I'm not leaving," Scorpius managed to croak through the lump in his throat, startling everyone in the room. "You don't have to stay. I'm not sure why you were called in the first place."

Once again, the room fell silent. The others were shocked that Scorpius would dare talk to his father like that. Draco- once again, only if they were looking for it as Scorpius was- glared down at his son. The two talked with their eyes, each defiant in their own right and each believing they could control the situation. Scorpius won out in the end.

"You're on thin ice, Scorpius," Draco muttered, but his voice carried in the silent room. He turned and left without another word.

OOOOO

Scorpius hardly slept that night, and slept even less the next night. Albus woke in the early hours of Monday morning. He was certainly groggy and his groan roused Scorpius into awareness. He wanted to call for Madam Pomfrey, but he didn't.

"Scorpius...?" The blond grabbed the glass of water on the bedside table and handed it to Albus. The injured boy gratefully took it but needed Scorpius's help so the water wouldn't spill. "What...?"

"What do you remember?" Scorpius hated to ask this, but it had to be done. "Do you remember your attackers?"

Albus shuddered and closed his eyes. "I wish I didn't." They were silent for a moment as Albus tried to gather his wits. "How long have I been out?"

Scorpius hesitated, then said, "I found you Friday night. It's Monday morning, now." He paused to let the information sink in. "Your family's here. They're sleeping in the other beds."

"Why aren't you?"

Scorpius really didn't want to say, but he knew he had to. "You asked me not to leave."

Albus squinted, trying to determine the other boy's reasons, blurry though his eyesight was. Scorpius then gently placed his glasses on his nose. Albus's eyes narrowed further, but this time in anger. "Have you slept at _all_?" He raised a shaky hand and nearly poked Scorpius in the eye. "You could have at least done that."

"I-I..." Scorpius ducked his head so Albus couldn't read the emotion he was sure would be in his eyes. "I was worried. Y-You c-could have d-died, Albus."

Albus softened, tightening his grip on Scorpius's hand, and Scorpius's heart fluttered at the action. "Thank you. That means a lot to me." He smiled crookedly at the blond. "So does this mean we can stop 'fighting'?"

Scorpius smiled back while trying to hold back a furious blush at the smile the other boy gave him. "Yeah. I'd like to be your friend." It was only then he noticed how presumptuous he was. "I-I mean-! I-If you want t-to be friends." Inside he was kicking himself. Surely Albus wouldn't want to be friends with a Slytherin-

"I'd like that," Albus admitted with a soft smile. "I've been wanting to make friends with you for years, now, but... Well, my Gryffindor courage has failed me, I guess. Too bad it takes me almost dying to get that to happen, huh?"

But instead of taking it as the joke Albus was trying to make it, Scorpius became rather poignant. "I'm really sorry I didn't find you sooner," he said, clutching tighter at Albus's hand. "But I just got so scared..." He told Albus the entire story of his terrifying trek, every emotion he felt and every thought he'd had. Scorpius decided then and there that he wouldn't leave anything out because friends told each other the truth, the whole truth, and besides, he couldn't lie to an injured person anyway. It was his Hufflepuff-ness showing through.

And he told Albus what a terrible Slytherin he was and how he should have been placed in Hufflepuff and-

"I hope that's not an insult to the Hufflepuff house," Albus teased. "My sister is a Hufflepuff."

Scorpius scoffed. "It's no insult, I'll have you know." He turned to the bed he knew Lily to be in. "She's really nice. I wish I was more like her."

Albus followed his gaze. His eyes softened when he saw his baby sister curled up on her side, resting peacefully. "Yeah... But she can be a right terror, sometimes." He chuckled, but stopped immediately because it hurt too much. He clutched his side in obvious discomfort, but waved Scorpius's concern away as he tried to stand. "I'm fine."

Scorpius watched him lean back into the pillows. "I hope you're not just trying to be brave, Albus."

"Trust me, I'm not."

"Good." Scorpius nodded, as if coming to a decision.

"You know..." said Albus slyly. "My friends call me Al."

Scorpius grinned at the invitation. "Alright, _Al_." He liked the way it rolled off his tongue. "Now go to sleep so I can." He took off Albus's glasses with a roll of his pale eyes before gathering the once-injured hand once again in his own hand. Their fingers linked together unconsciously as the two boys fell into a peaceful slumber.

Harry Potter shook his head as he left his bed. He had watched the two and neither had thought that he was awake. If the two wanted to be friends, it was fine by him; he really had no say in the matter who his son was friends with anyway. It wasn't his business. What _was_ his business, however...

Harry smirked at their linked hands. He'd let his son come to him in his own time, he decided as he kissed his son's forehead.

OOOOO

The three students who had attacked Albus had been expelled promptly by nine o'clock that same morning. Once they were gone the rest of the students were finally allowed to leave their dorms. Rumors were flying around the school by lunch time. During lunch in the Great Hall two tables were unnervingly silent and seething for the same reason; they couldn't believe members of their own houses would try to kill another. The Gryffindors were even more angry since a member of their house had tried to kill one of their own. The Hufflepuffs were wary of the change and the Ravenclaws ignored it like usual.

And Albus Potter was still in the hospital wing.

Classes had been cancelled for Monday only, and the Headmistress bade Scorpius to return to his on Tuesday. Scorpius reluctantly did as he was told, but once classes were out for the day or he had a break between classes and for meals the Slytherin visited his new friend in the infirmary.

Albus, of course, was ecstatic for his company. Sure, his brother and sister visited as often as they could, and the rest of the Weasleys still in school visited a few times, but other than that Albus had no visitors. Scorpius, curious, asked as to why, since he hadn't seen anyone else besides the Weasleys in his visitations (which was almost all day, since he immediately came once he could).

Albus shrugged with only a light wince when Scorpius asked (which was on the Thursday after the attack). "I don't really have many friends," he answered. "Besides," he added with a smile, "I've got you to keep me company."

Scorpius couldn't stop the grin that threatened to split his face in half.

It wasn't until Sunday before Albus was allowed to leave the Hospital Wing. Both James and Lily were there to help their brother shuffle back up to the dorm. James and Scorpius, being more his height, walked beside him to catch him if he fell and to help him up the numerous stairs. Lily's job was to carry her brother's book bag full of his completed homework, courtesy of Scorpius's help. Lily, as usual, chattered on and on by herself, speaking to the boys behind her without so much as a pause for breath so they could get a word in edgewise. It was fine by them; they were amused with her silly anecdotes and theatrical sweeps of her arms to prove her points.

At the portrait Scorpius paused, unsure if he was supposed to follow through. When Albus realized his new friend was not following he turned to give him a curious look.

"You coming?"

Scorpius followed without a second thought, a small, victorious smile brightening his features. Albus smiled right back and squeezed his hand in reassurance. The common room and those in it, decorated with reds and golds and laughter, paused at their entrance. They gave Scorpius a suspicious look and the boy almost bolted, but Albus tightened his grip to keep him there.

"I'm back," Albus said with his trademark grin.

There was still silence.

Lily huffed and stomped her foot childishly, bringing their attention to her. "For Merlin's sake!" she said, crossing her arms. "Scorpius, here, is now an honorary Gryffindor. He saved Albus. You will welcome him, _or else_."

The last two words were growled out, and the majority of those in the common room flinched at her tone and looked between her two protective brothers. Scorpius was curious, of course, but tactfully kept so as not to attract attention to his light blush as they made their way up the boys' stairs to get to Albus's dorm. Inside the room was a complete mess. All three Potter children sneered at the exact same time in the exact same way, and Scorpius couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

"I'm gone for one week," Albus muttered weakly, the sneer at the mess still firmly in place. "_One week_..."

"Hold on, Al," James said soothingly, steering his brother to one of the beds. Scorpius saw the dark trunk with the silver initials "A.S.P" at the foot of the bed. James took out his wand. "I'll fix it." A wave of his wand later and everything on the floor had been put in its place. "See? All better."

Albus shook his head, his eyes gazing around the room. "But... the mess... How could they...? _One week_!"

"There, there, brother," Lily soothed, sitting beside him on the bed and patting his arm. "It's alright. The mess is gone."

"_One week!"_

Scorpius, completely lost, turned to James for an explanation. Since the scene with his father and the headmistress where he refused to take an award or points, James had been a lot nicer to him. Well, the glares had softened somewhat, and he always had a calculating look when he saw Scorpius was in the infirmary before them. But at least that was an improvement from the total lack of acknowledgement he used to get from the older boy.

James sighed and placed a large hand in his younger brother's messy black hair. "Our dad taught us to keep everything at least tidy, so it bothers us when there is a mess, such as what had happened here."

"_One week_," Albus moaned pathetically.

Scorpius bit his lip and thought a moment. How could he help his friend? "I- I've... got an idea," he murmured after a moment while James and Lily were trying to comfort their brother. He slowly pulled out his wand. Once their attention was on him, he muttered a spell and waved his wand around the room. "There. That should help."

"What did you do?" asked James suspiciously.

"Drop a piece of clothing on the floor," he replied. The siblings cringed. "No, no!" he insisted. "You'll see what happens."

Reluctantly, James peeled off his slightly small red jumper with a large gold "J" in the middle. Underneath he only wore a thin shirt. Scowling, James dropped the article of clothing onto the floor. Nothing happened for a moment. Albus and Lily stared at the jumper with identical looks of confusion. James finally looked up to ask Scorpius what was going to happen, when _it_ happened.

The jumper leaped from the floor and attached to the oldest boy's head, much like an octopus might. Scorpius smirked at his shriek of surprise. Albus and Lily, however, did not hold back at their brother's plight. Both burst out into peals of laughter at their brother's expense and neither bothered to help James get the jumper off his head. It took him several moments, but James eventually got it off his head and angrily put it back on. Scorpius took a timid step back, afraid James would want to retaliate.

Instead, James broke into a grin and laughed. He clapped Scorpius on the shoulder. "That was brilliant!"

Over the next two weeks, Albus and Scorpius hung out whenever they could. They sat beside each other in the classes they shared and Scorpius joined the Gryffindor table to eat lunch and dinner, and sometimes breakfast, with the Potter siblings. They studied together in the library and sometimes Scorpius would join them and the rest of the Weasley troupe in the Gryffindor common room. Lily joined them in the Gryffindor common room, sometimes, and almost always ended up curled up next to Scorpius. He didn't mind, of course. The girl was sweet, like a tiny kitten.

One evening, a few days before they would leave for the Christmas Holiday when it was just the Potter Siblings and him lounging about the common room, he blurted that out when she curled up next to him again.

Both Potter boys snickered and Lily giggled. It sounded just like bells. "Why, Scorpius!" she swooned. "I am ever so pleased you tell me this!" She cuddled closer. "Meow."

Scorpius snorted in amusement. "You, Lily-dear, are adorable."

The girl grinned up at him. "I do so try."

"Uh huh." Scorpius looked up to Albus sitting on his other side and rolled his eyes. Albus chuckled right back.

And James watched on with suspicion when their hands brushed against one another's.

OOOOO

"You're staying here?"

Scorpius bit his lip. It was the day before the Hogwarts Express left for Kings Cross for the winter holiday. He had decided to stay at the castle after the fiasco in the Hospital Wing. He just _knew_ his father would be angry, and he was afraid of the punishment that could come from his refusing to leave. He wasn't exactly looking forward to going home. Not that he could exactly tell Albus that... even if they _were_ friends.

"Come home with me," Albus whispered, taking his hand; Scorpius's heart jumped into his throat at the action and his words. Through their two weeks of friendship, Scorpius had realized that Albus just liked to _touch_ people, him especially, and the touches had only increased as time wore on. Albus always had a reason to brush his hand against Scorpius's, or to have his hand on Scorpius's arm or knee. "I know mum wouldn't mind."

Scorpius wanted to, really, and he told Albus so-

"Then come!" Lily chirped, coming up behind Scorpius and startling him. James followed and a more sedate pace just a few steps behind his younger sister. "I'll help you pack!" She grabbed his hand to drag him down to the dungeons.

Albus rolled his eyes and grabbed his other hand. The two boys together had more mass than the slight girl (though both boys were slight themselves) and Lily gave up after she realized she could not move them by herself. "James!"

James, too, rolled his eyes. "It's Scorpius's choice. Don't force him to do something he doesn't want."

The blond nodded in gratitude when Lily finally let him go. Albus, however, still held onto his other hand. "Okay. I'll come."

He would never admit it aloud, but the smile Albus gave him nearly made his heart beat right out of his chest.

OOOOO

The ride to London was fairly boisterous and lighthearted. James had gone off to find his friends once he saw that Albus was seated (over the past two weeks he had become very protective of his younger siblings and hardly let them out of his sight) and the compartment was nearly bursting at the seams. Albus and Scorpius were huddled in one corner with Lily nearly sitting on her brother's lap and Rose right beside her. The Scamander twins, Hugo, and Louis crammed together on the other bench. Scorpius by now was used to the noise and laughter, but he still felt uneasy and slightly claustrophobic in the packed compartment.

Albus, as if sensing his discomfort, placed a hand over his and smiled reassuringly over at him.

Neither saw the mischievous grin threatening to overtake Lily's face at the innocent gestures.

At the train station, Scorpius hid behind Albus, suddenly nervous. Albus took his hand and squeezed it, giving the blond boy a look to show him he understood, and that he was there for him. Scorpius smiled nervously back.

Suddenly, they were swept up in a pair of arms. Scorpius squeaked in surprise as Mrs. Potter hugged both him and Albus. "Oh, boys!" she said excitedly. She dropped them and took Albus's face in her hands. "Are you alright, Alby? You're healing alright?"

"_Mum_," Albus groaned, shooting Scorpius an embarrassed look. A light pink dusted across his still-pale cheeks. "I'm fine."

Mrs. Potter scrutinized him for several moments longer before dropping her hands and turning to Scorpius. "How about you, Scorpius? How are you faring with our troublesome lot?"

Scorpius glanced nervously to Albus. He didn't want to say the wrong thing... But Albus didn't give him any hints except a smile and a slight nod of his head. "I... They..." he stuttered. He scowled at his pathetic actions. "I... like them. They're... They're nice t-to me." Albus gripped his hand tighter, sending as much comfort as he could through their linked hands. Scorpius smiled and squeezed back to thank him. "They aren't all that troublesome."

Mrs. Potter's eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hair. "Oh, really? James hasn't been giving you trouble?"

"_Mum!"_ James's voice shouted in indignation.

Mrs. Potter went off to attack- ahem, _hug and hopefully embarrass_- her other son. Albus snickered at his misfortune and turned to his friend. "You don't need to be afraid of my parents," he said softly, still giving Scorpius that shy, reassuring little smile that brightened his eyes. "They like you."

"I-I'm not _afraid_," Scorpius nearly shouted in indignation. His permanently quiet voice hardly rose above normal speaking tones on a normal day. He immediately hunched his shoulders and looked around to see if anyone had overheard. The platform was noisy and no one was paying them any attention. Quieter, he said, "I'm just... nervous."

"Why?"

Scorpius looked away. How could he tell his friends that _all_ adults made him nervous? That he was afraid they would see his father instead of him? Just _how_ could he tell Albus that he was absolutely terrified of staying in the same house as _Harry-Freaking-Potter_? He couldn't find a good enough answer besides, "I-... Not here, please?"

Albus nodded solemnly, the smile slipping from his face. "Okay, Scorpius. Later."

It was then that Harry Potter came up to them to greet his son. "Hey, Al," he murmured into his carbon-copy-like son's hair as he held him close. "How're you?"

Scorpius swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched the two interact. He had always been told how much he looked like Draco Malfoy, his father, but... His father had never done anything like what these two were doing. Mr. Potter was handling his son gently, as if he might break with too rough of a touch. His own father, Scorpius knew, would never do that. The closest he had come to that sort of affection had been right before he had started Hogwarts. Scorpius could not remember the exact words, but his father had explained to him why he might be persecuted and to please be careful and keep his head down.

No one had wanted anything to do with him, anyway.

Not until Albus had come along, anyway.

He was startled when Mr. Potter turned to him and asked the same question. "And you, Scorpius? How've you been?"

Scorpius spluttered in his surprise. "I- Uhm- I've been g-good, sir. Yourself?"

Mr. Potter smiled softly down at the boy. "I've been well. You haven't had any trouble?" Mr. Potter suddenly frowned at the unpleasant thought. "Your housemates haven't retaliated for your heroics?"

"I-..." Scorpius cleared his throat, suddenly very nervous. "Er, they don't usually talk to me, much, so I haven't had much trouble from them."

Mr. Potter's frown deepened. "I'm sorry to hear that, Scorpius," he said, reaching out a hand to place on the boy's shoulder. Scorpius, however, flinched away. Mr. Potter narrowed his eyes at the action, but did not press further.

The grip on his hand returned, which Scorpius was thankful for. The two followed the rest of the Potters through the crowd to get back into the Muggle world. The four children crammed into the back seat of the car and away they went to Number 12 Grimmauld place.

There, Albus immediately pulled Scorpius up to the top floor, explaining the history about the house on his way. It used to be the Black's and it used to be quite dark and foreboding; somewhere children should never grow up in. Looking around, Scorpius had trouble seeing the home's supposed dark past. Albus then explained that he had Regulus's old bedroom, James had Sirius's- since it was part of his namesake, and Lily and their parents slept on the third floor where a hippogriff named Buckbeak had once been kept. Albus also explained that the tapestry in the drawing room on the first floor had been removed and the wall with the magical window used to hold a portrait of a livid Mrs. Walburga Black. There had also been house elf heads lining the walls on the ground floor. The library on the first floor used to have dark books, but Mr. Potter had burned them all- quite to Mrs. Hermione Weasley's (one of Albus's many aunts) dismay- and had been replaced with all kinds of books.

Scorpius was glad that they had decided to remodel the place.

On the top floor, Albus dragged him into the room next to what Scorpius assumed to be a toilet, since the door they had passed had shown a tidy room full of posters and quidditch things. Albus opened the door to show a tidy room with many sorts of gadgets- mostly muggle- and covered with many moving pictures of many members of his family. Scorpius gazed around the room in awe; his own room was quite Spartan in appearance, only filled with the things he absolutely needed.

"Ah, looks like dad set up the spare bed," commented Albus, pointing to the bed in the far corner.

Scorpius blinked at him in surprise. "Your dad is letting me stay in the same room as you?"

"Er... Yeah?" replied Albus. "Why not?"

Scorpius fiddled with the sleeve of his jumper. "Is... Isn't he afraid I'm g-going to... t-to jump you?"

Albus's brow furrowed in confusion. "Jump me? What are you talking about?"

Scorpius stared right back in his own confusion. "Doesn't he know I... I like blokes? I thought everyone knew? You never told him?"

"What?" Albus shook his head, his dark locks flying wildly around his head. "I didn't know."

Scorpius relaxed upon seeing how well his friend was taking the surprising news. "I thought everyone at Hogwarts knew."

Again, Albus shook his head. He sat on his bed, patting the mattress to indicate he wanted Scorpius to sit with him so they could talk. Scorpius did so, though kept his gaze at his hands in his lap. "I'd heard rumors, of course, but I thought they were just that. Rumors. But... Well, we Potters _have_ been known to be a bit thickheaded," Albus chuckled. He then grew serious. "I... So you really are gay?"

Scorpius nodded, keeping his eyes on his lap. "Yeah... It's mostly why I stay at Hogwarts as much as I can."

"I see..." Scorpius peeked through his fringe to see Albus scrutinizing him. "What happened, Scorpius? Does your father beat you? Turn his wand on you?"

"_What_?" Scorpius shot his head up in surprise. "I- Where- How- I don't know what you're talking about!"

Albus laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and moved closer. The hand on his shoulder moved around to settle on his waist. "Scorpius... Please talk to me?" Scorpius stayed tight-lipped. Albus frowned. "Then will you talk to my dad? I know he can help-"

"N-No!" Scorpius shook his head. "I-I c-can't."

"Hush." Albus pulled the other boy close and held him as he cried. "It's okay, Scorpius. I'll protect you."

Scorpius held on tighter, drinking in the comfort he so desperately needed as he sobbed bitter tears into Albus's shoulder as Albus rocked him and whispered soothing words into his ear.

OOOOO

"No!"

Scorpius shot up in bed as he woke up from his most frequent nightmare nowadays.

_All that blood..._ He shuddered at the mere memory.

"Scorpius...?" Albus muttered sleepily. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," he whispered. "Sorry I woke you, Albus."

The mattress creaked and the sheets rustled as Albus got out of bed. He slipped in beside Scorpius, pushing half-heartedly against his friend to make him move over so he would have more room. "Ngh... Move, Scorp'us..." he slurred.

Scorpius did as he was told, his heart beating once again in his throat, though this time it was not in fear. It was in anticipation. "What... What are you d-doing?"

"Sleepin'," replied Albus, throwing an arm over Scorpius's waist to make him lay back down. He waited until his friend settled. "Are you alright?" He sounded more awake, now.

"I'm fine," he replied shortly.

"Liar," was the affectionate reply.

And the words came spilling out. Every moment of his nightmare was spread out between them as he whispered the details of his dream. Albus stayed silent, and soon Scorpius was spilling the secrets about his father, how he had punished him when he found out his son liked men, and how his mother stood in the background just watching silently, and that was why he had so much trouble trusting adults; they weren't about to help him out, and he could do it on his own as he had been for so long. He told his friend how he was only in Slytherin because his ambition was to help people- to save them.

His words soon died down several minutes later, and the room was silent.

The only sound was their breathing- Scorpius panting from the emotions of his story and Albus breathing quietly and evenly. For a moment, Scorpius though he had fallen asleep.

Suddenly, Albus propped himself on one elbow and leaned over his friend. His hair, slightly longer than usual since he had not had a haircut in several months, made a slight curtain around their faces as his nose nearly touched Scorpius's. His breathing was light, as if he was trying to be as quiet as he could.

"Can I kiss you?"

The question surprised Scorpius. He wondered if it was some sort of joke. "I-I... What?"

"Can I kiss you?" Albus repeated, no hint of a joke about him; Scorpius could tell he was being completely serious. "I've wanted to for a few days, now."

_So that explains the increase in touching_, Scorpius reasoned as the Potter gently brushed the tears from the aristocratic cheeks.

"Please?"

Instead of a verbal answer, Scorpius lifted his head slightly and pressed his lips to Albus's. His heart fluttered in joy when Albus pressed back down- gently, gently, lovingly.

Albus pulled away after a few moments with a silly grin, then pecked his lips one last time before flopping down on his side to cuddle Scorpius. "Now go to sleep, luv," he whispered. "I'll protect you from the nightmares."

Scorpius smiled and- cuddling closer to who he supposed was now his boyfriend- did as he was told.


	2. Happiness

**A/N: Alright, I hadn't planned on this being more than one chapter, but since you asked, I was encouraged to write this. And before you protest, I had most of the ideas in this planned out for the first part, but I couldn't quite make them fit in. I will not write more to this, either.**

OOOOO

Harry Potter sat in the dimly lit, quiet kitchen of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place with a cup of black coffee and a scowl for company, with a sheaf of parchment between them. The fireplace let out a single, lonely last crack before dying to mere embers. The room grew colder and quite dark, but Harry did not move to liven the fire with his wand nor a fire poker, for he was too deep in thought to notice the dying fire and the growing cold and darkness.

The previous night he had stopped by the new Malfoy Manor (the old one having been demolished by the Ministry some fifteen years ago because of all the dark magic corrupting the foundation), unannounced, once his children, their guest, and wife were asleep. There, he had demanded to know why Draco Malfoy's son was acting like an abused child might.

The answer was not what Harry had expected.

_Draco Malfoy watched Harry Potter for several moments before answering. "You should know, Potter," he finally said as he turned to the doorway. Harry followed him to the study where they could talk in private. "Tell me," Draco said once they were sitting. "Do you still talk to those muggle relatives of yours?"_

"_No," Harry replied. "I haven't talked to them in years. If I could, I would forget all about them."_

"_Just as I thought." Draco nodded. "Tell me, Potter," he reiterated, clasping is hands together and pressing his forefingers to his lips, his elbows rested on the armrests. The rest of his fingers folded so his hands were clasped together, minus those two fingers, and he pointed them at the Auror. "Why don't you talk to them anymore?" His hands shook with purpose, to punctuate his words and show his curiosity._

_Harry supposed he could play Draco's game, if it would get him the answer he was searching for. "They were never my family," Harry answered quietly. He settled back in his chair and regarded the man opposite him. "They never wanted me, and made it very clear about it."_

"_And what did they do to you?"_

_There was a long silence. Harry was not sure what to say- what he _could_ say. Should he tell the truth, or a variation? Was he supposed to say what he had told his best friends and wife, or what he had told anyone else who had asked? If anyone else had asked, he would have told them he had slept in a cupboard for ten years and when he had been moved to Dudley's second bedroom there had been bars, a cat flap for food, and several locks on the door. If anyone else had asked, he would have not mentioned the lack of food, clothing, and care he had experienced._

"_I could not trust adults," Harry answered, just as quietly as before. Draco leaned forward, his hands still clasped, eager for the answer. "No one would help me. I had told a few adults about their neglect, but no one believed me- the Dursleys were too perfect to abuse their horrible, awful nephew." The words were scoffed out with a sneer to befriend the disgust he felt with their treatment. "I was beaten only once, but that was because my accidental magic saved me." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Why do you want to know?"_

_Harry looked up just as Draco sighed and sat back. "I want my son to hate me," said Draco. Harry started to open his mouth, but thought better. "The Malfoy name... There is no hope for us. I want our name to be terminated. I made mistakes, and my father made mistakes. They were mistakes that were irreversible. The only way to fix these mistakes is to disown my son and abolish the Malfoy name."_

"_I see..."_

_And he did. Harry could understand _why_ Draco Malfoy was doing this to his child, but..._

_Harry did not understand _how_ he could do this to his own child._

"_I don't want to do this," Draco said, as if reading his thoughts. "But my wife and I thought it was for the best. I never wanted to hurt my son..." He looked up at Harry with tears in his eyes. "Please believe me."_

"_I do." Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "But you know that I cannot let Scorpius stay here with you. I have to report you."_

"_I know. But please wait until I formally disown my son?"_

_Harry lowered his head. "I will. Where will he go?"_

"_I was hoping..." Draco looked away. "I was hoping that you would take him. Since Scorpius saved your son, I was wanting- hoping- that you would take him in. I know if you would be uncomfortable with that, since my son is gay-"_

"_I don't really have a problem with that." Harry shook his head. "I'm wondering if my own son is, and I think our sons might actually get together." He grinned at Draco's surprised look. "Yes, they were holding hands at the train station."_

_Draco nodded slowly. "So this will help my plans carry on. When it becomes official that they are together, I can disown him then, and there is no chance of the Malfoy line continuing."_

"_And I will take Scorpius in once he is disowned."_

"_Yes. And you will be the hero once again." Draco let out a bitter laugh. When he was done, he added solemnly, "I have been adding money to his vault without his knowledge for a while, now, so he should be alright for a time." They were silent for a moment. The fire crackled and kept the semi-dark room warm and lit with orange light. "Please don't tell him, or anyone else," Draco finally whispered._

_Harry, knowing a dismissal when he heard one, nodded and stood. He made his way to the fireplace and stopped just before throwing in the floo powder. "I promise. This will stay between the two of us."_

"_We never had this talk."_

"_What talk?"_

_With a flash of green, he left the new Malfoy Manor._

When he had gotten back, he had sat in the kitchen for several minutes thinking over his conversation with his long-ago enemy. Once midnight had come and gone, he had finally gotten up to go to bed. Before he had entered his room, though, he had heard a shout from Albus's room. Thinking the worst, he had dashed up the stairs to help his son- or Scorpius, if that was the case.

Voices coming from his youngest son's room stopped him before he entered. He had listened in on Scorpius's tale and had turned around to head back to his room, knowing that Albus could comfort him, when he heard his son ask, "Can I kiss you?"

He had only stuck around to hear Scorpius's answer- or rather, the small sound of their first kiss- before grinning and heading to bed.

Footfalls on the stairs jerked him from his thoughts. The door to the kitchen opened to reveal his youngest son and his new boyfriend- which he had yet to tell the rest of his family about. Harry grinned at the thought that he was the only one who knew so far, and the two boys didn't even know that he knew.

"Dad!" said Albus in surprise. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he teased, standing and moving over to the stove to start some hot chocolate. He finally noticed the darkness and temperature of the room so he waved his wand at the fire to get it going again. The room slowly started to warm up on that cold December night. The fire threw strange shadows across the room, even though he had cleaned up the house of anything strange and dark many years ago. "Go ahead and sit. What brings you all the way down here?"

"Scorpius had another nightmare," replied Albus, sitting across the table from where his dad had been sitting. Scorpius sat down next to him and Albus wrapped an arm around his waist. Harry looked at the two and raised an amused eyebrow. The fire livened his son, but made his friend- or would it be lover? No, Harry could not think of his sixteen-year-old son having a 'lover' (that was just so strange to think about!) so Scorpius would have to be dubbed 'boyfriend' for the time being- look quite gaunt in comparison. Harry, of course, was worried, but he could not ask when his son exclaimed, "It's not what you think, dad!"

"Oh?" said Harry, hiding his amusement. He could ask Scorpius later, he decided. "'It' is not just you being a friend, comforting his friend in distress?"

Both boys blushed, but Albus did not take his hand away. If anything, he pulled the blond even closer. "Uhm... Dad?" Harry watched from the corner of his eye as he turned back to the stove. He saw Albus give Scorpius a questioning look, who returned the silent question with a shrug. "I... have something to tell you. Do you promise not to blow your lid?"

Harry was amused that his son thought he would be angry when he had taught all his children to be tolerable. "Now why would I do that?" he asked, trying his hardest to hide his amusement. He did so by turning completely to the stove so his son would not see the twitch of his lips.

"Just... don't," was the response. "Uhm... Dad... Scorpius and I... We're... uhm, more than friends."

He coughed to hide his laugh. Schooling his features (because he was a trained Auror, and he could keep a straight face,_ thank you very much_) he turned back to his son with confusion written all over his face. "What do you mean, Albus?" he asked, setting down the two mugs. "Are you best friends, then? What's so bad about that?"

"No, dad..." Albus took a quick drink to calm his nerves, idly forgetting that hot chocolate was, well, _hot_, just as its name implied. He cursed and nearly spilled his drink when he hurriedly set it back down on the table. Harry rolled his eyes and handed him a cup of cold water to soothe his mouth. He ignored the curse, for now, since he knew Albus was feeling stressed with coming out to his father, a war-hardened head Auror, the man who had defeated a dark lord multiple times.

"We're t-together, Mister P-Potter," Scorpius managed to stutter out while Albus was still trying to cool his mouth. "As in..." He gulped. "I-I m-mean-"

Harry leaned across the table and rested a hand on Scorpius's fidgeting ones. "It's alright, Scorpius." He grinned at the two. "I was only teasing you. That's what father's do, you know." He hid a wince when he saw Scorpius flinch at that. "I knew you were together."

Albus sprayed his water across the table. Harry rolled his eyes and waved the mess away with his wand while Albus spluttered out, "What? _How_?"

"I heard Scorpius shout last night," Harry answered, "and I went up to your room to make sure you were alright. I heard the whole story." He grew solemn and fingered his cup of coffee. "I was trying to figure out a way to get Scorpius to stay here instead of going back to the Malfoy Manor." He knew how, actually- all he had to do was throw his name around here and there- but he had to wait until Malfoy disowned his son publicly. Now he could send a letter to Draco, wait until Scorpius was disowned, then grab custody of Scorpius.

"Is that why you're down here so late, then?" Albus asked, pulling Scorpius closer. He didn't seem to mind that he was doing so in front of his father, especially since his father was being so accepting of them.

Harry picked up a sheaf of parchment and shook it. The parchment made a sharp sound in the dimly lit, quiet kitchen. The sound of the parchment was only just louder than the crackling fire. "I was pouring over these papers to see what I could do to get you out of there, Scorpius. I know what it's like," he whispered, sitting back down. He held his cup of coffee to his lips and adverted his eyes from the pair. "To not be wanted by your own family. To have your very existence hated. To... A lot of things, really." He drank from his cup, his green eyes growing dark at the memories of his relatives.

His son's soft, "Dad..." brought him back from his thoughts. "You are a lot like me, Scorpius," he finally murmured into his cup. "Growing up hated, yet showing so much compassion for others.

"It helps, you know, to talk," he added. He glanced up at his son, and the same bright green eyes stared sadly right back at him. "It doesn't matter who to; your best friend, Albus, a teacher, or me. I... would understand more than anyone else could."

Harry threw back his head and drained the rest of his bitter coffee. He stood, set his cup in the sink to be washed in the morning, and walked to the stairs. At the bottom, without looking back and with his hand on the banister, he added, "Never think you are worthless. You will rise above him, and you will make your dream to help people come true."

"What- How-"

"That's what I wanted to do." Harry threw a smile over his shoulder and disappeared up the stairs.

Harry paused at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Changing his mind, he backtracked to his study. Opening the door slowly, he slid into the room and dropped to his knees in front of the fire that was merely embers now. "Malfoy Manor," he intoned, throwing a small handful of powder into the fireplace. Green flames roared to life and he stuck his head in, requesting the nearest house elf to speak with Master Draco, it is an emergency, please and thank you.

Several minutes passed by before Draco came into the room, dressed in nightclothes with a housecoat over the top. When he saw Harry, he let out a sigh of relief. "I take it they are officially together, then?"

"They just told me."

Draco nodded slowly and knelt in front of Harry. "When will you come to arrest me, then?"

"Most likely tomorrow afternoon," Harry replied, a look of sadness in his eyes. He looked up at Draco. "I don't really want to do this."

"But you have to."

Harry shook the tears from his eyes. "What about the Missus? Will she claim Imperius, or that she was too afraid of you to do anything for fear of retribution?"

It was Draco's turn to shake his head. "We have everything already worked out." He paused and drew in a shaky breath. "Astoria... While I go to Azkaban, she will use the distraction to hide herself away. She has family in France."

"I see." Harry tried to gulp his way around the lump in his throat. "What if... What if Scorpius had turned to hatred instead of love, Draco? Everything you have done would have been for naught."

He could see Draco's jaw clench, even though the flames threw strange shadows on his pointed face. In that moment he looked just as gaunt as his son had just minutes before. "That was a risk I was willing to take."

"You know..." the head Auror started. He had to clear his throat to continue. "You are a good father, despite all this."

Again, Draco nodded slowly, this time wiping a tear from his pale eye. "You should leave."

And so leave he did, with the parting words, "Send him the letter in the morning, at breakfast, so I can get a team together by the afternoon. I'll lead the arrest."

He barely heard the whispered, "Thank you," as he withdrew from the fireplace.

OOOOO

The next day was not a happy sort of day. A magnificent owl swooped in through the window just as Ginny was finishing breakfast and the last of the sleepy stragglers (James) had sat down. Scorpius stiffened in his seat as the owl landed right in front of him. Albus, sensing his fear, took the letter for him. The owl immediately flew off once the letter had been detached. Scorpius took one look at the letter and shoved it in Harry's direction.

"Mister Potter...?"

"Harry, Scorpius," he told him gently with a small, comforting smile. He took the letter and opened it, already knowing what it would say. It still broke his heart when he gave the frightened boy the gist of the letter with the rest of his family listening in.

"O-Oh," Scorpius murmured once the oldest of the household had finished speaking. Albus tucked him into his side to calm him, not caring who saw any longer. Scorpius' father had outed them, so they would not have to hide any longer.

Harry stood suddenly, not being able to contain himself any longer at the sight of his son holding his distressed boyfriend. "I might be home late," he told his wife. "Go ahead and eat without me." He nodded once in Scorpius's direction and turned on the spot, disappearing with a sharp crack.

That afternoon Harry found himself once again in Malfoy Manor. Astoria had gone, just as Draco had promised. Draco was in his son's room, just packing the rest of his son's belongings in an ornate trunk. He closed the lid and stood to face the team of Aurors under Harry Potter's command. The head of the Malfoy name did not even put up a fight as Harry placed the shackles on his wrists. In the commotion, Harry shrunk and pocketed the trunk without so much as a sideways glance from any of his men.

Harry was the one to "question" Draco Malfoy in one of the interrogation rooms before they took him to Azkaban. Really, it was just a formality until they could get all the paperwork settled.

Through it all, Harry felt bad for Draco Malfoy. Sure, he had done the unimaginable- harming a child, a wizard child at that, when there were so few of them left- but he had done it for what he had felt had to be done. He had done it to abolish the Malfoy name, and to save his child and possible- although unlikely- grandchildren. And he was being sent to Azkaban for doing so.

"Potter... Harry," Draco hissed behind slightly pallid, parted lips. His pale eyes, somewhat glassy in appearance, pleaded with Harry to understand.

And Harry did understand. He stood and walked to the door. He only paused momentarily to throw a look over his shoulder he hoped Draco understood. Gripping the door, he muttered, "Your son will have a better life."

"I know."

The newspapers later that day told the whole story. Scorpius had been disowned and Draco had been arrested for child abuse. Astoria had disappeared, and some whispered that Draco had murdered her and had destroyed her body to hide the fact. The story also told of how Draco Malfoy had died, right in the interrogation room. Many wondered how that could have possibly happened when his wand had been taken and someone had been watching him the whole time.

A few days later the papers issued another story on the mysterious case: Draco Malfoy had taken a slow-acting poison and committed suicide. Very few wondered if he had taken it because he felt remorse, although others had said he had taken it because he was a coward and did not want to face Azkaban.

If only they knew how right the first group of people were, but only Harry and Astoria knew the real story, and neither were willing to share.

Scorpius, for the most part, did not seem all that bothered by the news of being disowned. To take his mind off of being disowned, Albus and Lily took him to the park only a few streets over. When Harry came home with news of his father's death (Harry didn't want the poor kid to find out from the papers) James grabbed Scorpius and disappeared with him for several hours. They did not emerge from their hiding spot from the top floor until well after midnight, and neither were willing to share the next morning what had gone on in those missing hours.

The next day Harry took off a day from work just to sit with Scorpius. The two sat mostly in silence before Harry started speaking about his own father's death, and about the horrible memory when he was just fifteen months old. Tears gathered in his eyes, and once Scorpius saw the tears, he started crying as well. Harry held him and told him it was alright to cry, to let it all out, that it did no good to hold it all in.

Tears still streamed down his face, but Scorpius's sobs had subsided. Once Harry had stopped speaking, he began to tell his own story of what he had endured for fourteen years. He told Harry the complete story, since he had only told Albus part of what he had gone through.

Harry said nothing, for fear of stopping the story spewing from the teenager's mouth as if it could not leave fast enough. He made no movement, for fear of disrupting the story being spun through the air. He listened, and he let his tears fall unchecked as the child spilled his story.

At the end, Scorpius heaved a great sigh and thanked him. "I _do_ feel much better." Both laughed and wiped the tears from their cheeks.

Harry wiped the remaining tears away that Scorpius had missed and smiled down at the boy as he held his face in his hands. "I was able to get guardianship of you," he told the boy. "Since you are almost seventeen I won't force you to do things I would make Albus do. I only got guardianship so you could stay here for the rest of the holiday, and for the summer and next Christmas if you wish, instead of being a ward of the Ministry."

Scorpius nodded, more tears falling from his eyes. "Thank you, Harry. I would love to come during the summer and next Christmas."

"You won't have to call me father," Harry told him with a gentle smile as he wiped the fresh tears away. "I think that would make it a little awkward between you and Albus, if I am not mistaken?" He laughed at Scorpius's deep blush and kissed his temple before pulling him into another hug. When they finally pulled apart, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a trunk. "I was able to salvage some of your belongings. Since you're staying here, I thought I'd go ahead and give you a room. Would the room on the second floor be alright?"

Scorpius nodded happily. "That's fine with me, sir."

Harry grinned and poked his nose. "None of this 'sir' business. I'm not a teacher and I'm not your boss." Scorpius laughed and nodded his approval. "Now go find that boyfriend of yours. He's worried sick about you."

The young man stopped at the door and turned to face Harry. "Uhm... Harry?"

"Yes?" He glanced up, curious about what Scorpius would want since the boy never asked for anything from him or Ginny.

"You aren't... afraid? Of m-me t-taking advantage of your son?"

Harry grinned once again. He supposed that if Sirius or Remus had been there, they would have commented that he looked exactly like his father when he came up with another prank. "No, I'm not worried about _that_, per se," he told the boy. "I'm more worried that _he_ will take advantage of _you_." He laughed when Scorpius squeaked in surprise. "Don't worry, I'll have a talk with him tonight. Now off you go."

However, Scorpius did not leave immediately. Instead, he stepped away from the still-closed door, his head down and his fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. "Harry... How did you do it?"

Harry frowned back, not sure what the teenager was talking about. "Do what, exactly?"

Scorpius spread his arms, as if that would explain it. "Go on. I mean... How did you get through it?"

Harry stood and stepped up to Scorpius. He rested a comforting hand on the thin shoulder. Making sure Scorpius was paying attention and looking into his eyes, he said, "It's hard, at first. I was depressed for months both times, when Sirius and then Remus died. They were the closest thing I had to a father. I- It was very hard to continue." He placed his other hand on the other shoulder while he thought of something more to say to comfort the boy.

"I had to remind myself that I still had good things in life. I still had Ron and Hermione, and then my godson Teddy. I had managed to survive, and I had met my parents before Voldemort killed me."

Scorpius hung his head. "Thanks, but... That... wasn't what I meant."

"Oh." Harry tipped the boy's chin back up so he could look back into his eyes. "It _will_ get better, Scorpius. I know your father was horrible to you, and your mother did nothing about it. I do. But having friends and someone who loves you helps make it better. I won't promise that you will get over it one hundred percent, but I _can_ promise that confiding in someone and knowing that others love you helps. It really does."

Scorpius gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Mister- I mean, Harry."

Harry ruffled his hair and pushed him towards the door. "Don't thank me; just remember that you may come find me just to talk at any time. Now, just go find Al."

With a bigger smile- this one shining in his eyes- Scorpius left, closing the door behind him with a soft sound. Harry, as if he were a puppet with his strings cut, fell back into the chair he had occupied previously.

Even now, even though Scorpius was not the first child he had counseled and would certainly not be the last, it was still difficult. It was painful every single time to listen to a child- more so a teenager who had had to endure it for years- tell their bitter, horrible story.

At least, he reasoned, Scorpius was not as bitter about it as he had the right to be.

OOOOO

Indeed, Harry had talked to Albus the following evening. The boy was absolutely mortified, and James outright laughed at his younger brother when he came out of his father's study, but at least he knew his father was being fair about his relationship. It wasn't anything Harry hadn't said to James regarding his first girlfriend.

Lily, of course, was all for their relationship. She was less embarrassing with her teasing than James was, but she still teased them whenever opportunity knocked- which it did so frequently. For example: whenever she was curled up with Scorpius reading a book in front of the fire and Albus came in, she would jump up and make an excuse that she was needed elsewhere- "Yes, mum? Coming!" She would then shoot the boys a sly grin and hurry off.

"Should have been a Slytherin, that one," muttered Albus after the fifth time she ran out of the room.

James, on the other side of the room, chuckled. "She just likes Scorpius," he told the two. "That, and she likes seeing you happy, Al. She's hoping she'll get to be the flower girl at your wedding, or something."

Scorpius blushed a brilliant shade of pink. "Wh-_What_?"

Albus, with a gentle smile, kissed his cheek. James rolled his eyes at his brother's Public Display of Affection. He was reading here, didn't they know! "Teenagers," he muttered with a huff.

The couple chuckled at the older boy. "You're only a year older than I am," Albus reminded him, cuddling closer to his boyfriend.

The eldest Potter child harrumphed, but could not keep the grin off his face. "You know, little brother..." he started slyly, placing his book to the side when an idea struck him. It was a very good idea indeed, and it would help him get back at his sister for decorating his room with those muggle boy bands she was obsessed with that morning. "I have a perfect idea."

The smirk on his face could not get any smugger. Albus slid forward, pulling Scorpius with him so they could scheme.

"What do you have in mind, brother mine?"

A grin morphed onto his face.

Scorpius rolled his silver eyes at the brothers' antics, but listened anyway. _It's nice_, he thought, _and I'm finally allowed to be happy._


End file.
